koolhead17
Life is not fair. Things never work as planned. We can either mourn it or accept it with courage.
Mourning is not an option; you will become weak, and it will kill you from the inside.
When you accept reality, you will become fearless. You will start leaving in the unexpected.
We die every single moment; the choice is ours.
Rome was not built in a day, although it was burnt in a day by Nero. We underestimate the power of doing little every day. The world of abundance has taught us to crave more, and there is no end to it.
We don’t want to invest in a relationship but expect swiping right will get us our sweetheart. We don’t learn and take years to hone our skills but get into depression seeing the pay package of others.
Everyone sees and cheers a successful enterprise or entrepreneur. A few understand all the decade-long hard work put into it.
We want to stay fit and healthy and, at the same time, love eating canned/frozen food because it takes less time to cook.
Look around and see how many friends of yours dreaming the best salary, house, and sweetheart in a quick time.
What is your absolute wealth? Is it the money to buy a new iPhone or the money for a new home?
The world of consumerism never leaves us with any satisfaction. We are continuously chasing the new shiny thing. This never-ending treadmill of running fast to make dreams come true robs our inner peace and time.
The peace is utilized to live a sane mental and physical life and time spent with aging parents, newborn kids or friends.
Our time on this planet is limited, and our parents, friends and everyone around are temporary. We are only getting old and prone to sickness.
The absolute wealth is not hoarding or running like headless chicken but spending this limited time rationally, taking care of mental and physical well being.
Time and again, you will be tested for your integrity, trust, and other virtues. Be aware of what is unacceptable to you in your profession or personal life. That will save some pain and keep you sane.
This awareness will act as a pillar in your decision-making and keep your personal and professional life sorted.
If you are reading this, you are one of the lucky ones. You don’t have to worry about the basic amenities or fight for everyday meals.
There is a different world out there where people are willing to kill each other for nothing or where people are selling themselves over cigarettes.
You are not part of that society that works 18 hours in hardships and sends back money home for their parents and families.
It’s easy to get angry at a delivery boy for getting pizza a few minutes late or a maid for breaking your coffee mug.
The family we are born in defines our future. The race begins very early: DNA, Genes, wealth, and societal baggage.
Some of us treat our life as a traveler with a defined destination. As a result, the essence of the journey gets diluted.
We want successful personal or professional life. We work hard like part of a race. Some of us work non-stop like a machine with the end goal of being wealthy.
When we get all the wealth, we have lived our life and have no clue what to do with it. We want to reach our destination forgetting to enjoy the journey.
Last evening was listening to Karthik’s X-Unicorns podcast, where he interviewed Prashant, founder of EaseMyTrip. There are a few takeaways for me from the interview as a founder.
EaseMyTrip is a bootstrapped ticket reservation platform run by Prashant and his two brothers. The company has been listed in India and is now a public limited.
Being consistent is a unique virtue. Not many have it. A few who are gets lots of respect in their organization or society.
One can trust you with a task and forget because of your past performance.
The same applies to cricket or football. Every team has one or two players delivering one after another game with consistency. They are a boon to their teams and the captain.
I keep hearing about 10X engineers in a startup: we should also talk about folks who are constantly shipping at ease.
I see startup websites throwing culture pages with smiling pictures of employees.
An organization’s culture is more than the handbook or website placeholder. It’s everyday life and a journey. Also, it comes from the top leaders. A founder’s role is critical. It’s their action that gets cloned/copied or followed.
We are living in an era of uncertainty. Nothing is permanent, be it our health, job, or relationship. But does this mean we should stop living?
The last few years of the pandemic and losing loved ones have taught us about our limited life and bought us closer.
The current economy talks about recession, and the press publishes news and story about mass layoffs.
Times like these make us more resilient and teach us about a better future. We can seize the opportunity and fight it with brevity or surrender and live in misery, getting sick and depressed.
Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.
The Enchiridion, Epictetus